Digital Billboards: Phoenix vs Tempe
How do digital billboards rules compare between Phoenix, AZ and Tempe, AZ?
Phoenix and Tempe have similar restriction levels.
Phoenix, AZ
Maricopa County
Phoenix Zoning Ordinance Section 36-49 caps off-premise outdoor advertising and restricts digital billboards to specific corridors with minimum dwell times, brightness limits, and spacing rules. Conversion of static billboards to digital is conditionally permitted.
View full Phoenix rules →Tempe, AZ
Maricopa County
Arizona Revised Statutes Section 28-7732 and ADOT outdoor-advertising rules govern digital billboards along controlled-access highways. Maricopa County Zoning Ordinance Chapter 13 regulates off-premise signs in unincorporated areas with size, brightness, and spacing limits.
View full Tempe rules →Key Facts Comparison
| Fact | Phoenix | Tempe |
|---|---|---|
| Code section | Phoenix Zoning Ord Sec 36-49 | - |
| Minimum dwell time | 8 seconds per message | - |
| Brightness cap | 0.3 footcandle ambient at line | 0.3 foot-candles |
| Takedown ratio | 2 to 4 static per digital | - |
| State permit | - | ADOT outdoor advertising |
| Hold time | - | 8 seconds minimum |
| Max face area | - | 672 square feet |
Highlighted rows indicate differences between cities.
Phoenix FAQ
Can I put a digital billboard on my Phoenix commercial property?
Only in designated overlay corridors and only by converting an existing legal billboard elsewhere under the takedown ratio. New off-premise billboards are not allowed in most of Phoenix.
What about digital signs on my own business?
On-premise digital signs face separate rules in Section 36-49 with size, brightness, and dwell-time limits but are allowed in commercial and industrial zones. Residential zones generally prohibit them.
Tempe FAQ
Can I convert my static billboard to digital in unincorporated Maricopa?
Possibly. You need ADOT permit amendment plus county zoning approval. Many city jurisdictions limit conversions to one new digital per several static faces removed under cap-and-trade billboard policies.
How fast can the message rotate on an Arizona digital billboard?
Each message must hold static at least 8 seconds with the transition under 1 second per ADOT rules and ARS 28-7732. Faster animation is treated as moving signage, which is prohibited.
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